Tilly was not prepared for the grandeur that unfolded before him as he moved up the steps, passing through the front row of columns. Both of his companions didn't look up at the tree-sized columns as they walked by, but Tilly couldn't help but pause for a moment and take it in. If the city below was a clear display of an Empire crumbling at the edges, this was its proud gilded heart, seemingly untouched by the squalor unfolding in its surroundings. Many figures scurried to and fro, dwarfed by the forest of immense marble supports. Each of the hundreds of columns was in itself a work of art. Ridged and shaped to be uniquely beautiful.
Soft light shone from the ceiling 4 stories above. It bathed everything in a glow that felt a little bit like a sunny afternoon with an occasional cloud providing pleasant and intermittent shade. In the midst of all this, Tilly couldn't help but admit a grudging respect for the empire and its citizens. Sure, some of them were obviously racist pricks... but here, standing in such a feat of supernatural architecture, Tilly saw something different in these people. A determination to leave their mark, to build something that endured.
Yet, as is often the case of true civilizational glory, this sight was undercut by the innumerous cogs of bureaucracy spinning purposelessly. There were hundreds of open-office-style stations set up all around the plaza, distracting from its elegance and beauty. Each station held a table filled with paperwork being attended by multiple aides. They buzzed around the piles like flies, occasionally shifting a stack of paper from one table to another. He could almost hear them excitedly babbling about this sort of achievement with other functionaries. In their minds, this was probably the most important work happening in the empire. The sounds of thousands of minor functionaries creating what, in all likelihood, was more work for the rest of the empire's citizens grated on Tilly like nails on a chalkboard.
The two lapins cut through the hive of activity towards the center of the gargantuan plaza which held a spiral stair-case the size of a city block and Tilly rushed to follow, leaving behind the philosophical thoughts that the scene had evoked in him, and turning his mind back to the trial. He needed to focus on not going to fantasy jail, he could think about empires and governments later.
Near the foot of the huge staircase stood another contingent of guards. They stood radiating a casual air of violent competence, and Tilly saw that they had the same class as the two who had accompanied the young aristocrat that morning. Each of these satyrs stood at attention in gleaming perfect armor, juxtaposed by bodies covered in scars and corded with thick muscle.
Level 50 Empire’s Bastion
When Hiro arrived at the base, he moved to stand before the first guard at attention, this time announcing himself.
“Lord Hiro Matsumoto, here to stand before the Cura and the Empire, accused of treason.” He rumbled in a bold but steady voice.
The guard nodded once, his facial expression unchanging as he stepped to the side. Hiro bowed once in return, his manner the complete opposite of the one that he had adopted in the face of the officials outside. Then he moved up the steps eating up the oversized treads with long strides. Again Shuji and Tilly hurried to follow. Tilly was beginning to feel a little like a lap dog, always pitter-pattering after his master. He scratched at an annoying itch under his jacket as he practically had to leap from step to step to keep up.
For some reason, he started thinking about the life-or-death ultimatum that Hiro had forced on him at their first meeting. At first, he had let it roll off his back as he realized what an impossible situation the leader had been in. But now, irrationally, he was starting to question why he had even come.
'Why had Hiro brought him? To show him off for political points?'
The stated reason for “protection” was laughable. The stairs went on for a frustratingly long time, during which Tilly decided that even if they ended up in prison, he was going to get some answers tonight. No more being jerked around. He kept his head down as he concentrated on keeping his pace and not tripping on the awkwardly large steps when he heard the boom of an announcement from above them.
“Thus concludes the presentation of the children’s refuge bill by the human, Amelia. As the bill stands, the vote is 33 nays, 24 ayes, and 8 abstained. The bill is floored at this time.”
They had arrived at an intricate arched opening at the top of the spiral stairs, and the glare of the naked sun almost blinded Tilly’s eyes. They adjusted painfully with spots dancing in his vision as a form emerged, moving quickly through the dancing spots.
Then the words from above hit Tilly, 'Another human?'
She was wearing a simple brown overcoat that was flying open with the force of her red-faced exit, revealing hundreds of pockets. Under the coat was a neat practical blouse over tan safari-looking pants. She wore her hair in a pixie cut of auburn brown, framing a pair of angry tear-filled eyes that didn't register their group as she stormed past. Tilly was so shocked at the sudden appearance of another one of his kind that he almost turned around and followed her down the stairs.
“Now the assembly will hear the emergency charges leveled against one of its previous members, and vote on judgment thereafter.” The voice boomed again from beyond the light.
He looked down the stairs for one agonizing second, before turning back to the opening with a sigh. Hiro and Shuji were already moving through the relief carved marble and gold arch and Tilly ran up the last few steps to emerge with them into the light. The brightness of the full morning sun illuminated the basin of an open-air amphitheater. On the floor were several sectioned-off areas with their own seating, and surrounding the basin was a tiered arena with stadium-style seating.
The first level of the stadium seemed to be reserved for a large empty throne and the rest of the low levels were filled with groups of figures dressed in white, formal-looking togas fringed with various colors. This lower group of formally dressed officials was made up of mostly satyrs with about a sixth of those in attendance being creatures of other heritages. Above this group in the higher seats of the stadium were many more spectators, all finely dressed, although not in any sort of robes of office. There was a murmur of excitement building up in those seats and Tilly got the feeling that politics was a national sport to these people. The recent sight of the woman rushing from this place flashed back in Tilly’s mind and he felt the slow building burn of indignation smolder in his chest.
The upper audience cheered and hooted at the announcement, all while the streets of the city around them were choking on an influx of refugees. The juxtaposition of the two realities crashed into each other in Tilly's mind and he began to see just how big the cracks in the system were.
Hiro moved without hesitation to a sectioned-off area to the right of the basin floor, with Shuji following. Tilly made to follow but caught a subtle gesture from Shuji to not completely enter the area. Instead, Shuji motioned for him to stand behind it. Tilly took his position and looked up scanning the different groups of senators, each separated by the fringe of their togas. There was a gold group, which was by far the largest, and the others were green, silver, red, and blue. The blue group was the smallest with only four members, three of which were older turtle-type people.
Tilly’s observations were interrupted by the booming voice, “The trial has begun! The accused stands ready, what says the prosecution?”
Tilly traced the confusing echoes back to a smaller formal seat to the left of the large throne, in which sat a Satyr in an all-black toga with white fringe.
Then a ridiculously coiffed Satyr in a nearby floor section stood from his seat and shouted to the crowd in a high tenor voice, “Before us, my fellow countrymen, stands the last Lord of a useless people hampering the returning glory of our empire. In his cowardice, he has taken what he could from our coffers and run from his duties as a citizen.” He paused there, allowing the crowd to build a murmuring response.
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Smiling to himself he continued, “Even in this they have failed. Hiro Matsumoto has been derelict in his duty to subjugate new lands for the empire and has grossly misused the resources given to him so generously by our divine emperor. For this most heinous crime among many others, we have called Hiro Matsumoto here on charges of treason!”
The echoes of his proclamation continued to reverberate into the upper levels of the amphitheater making them seem like they came from a legion of accusers instead of a single voice.
“How answers the defense?” The bass voice asked from the formal seat next to the throne. In response, Hiro slowly stood, seeming to be in no rush, and took a long moment to eye the gathered senators and the crowd above.
“Many have questioned my people for generations, viewing our entrance into this noble empire as insincere. It is especially clear to the rest of us that a very particular group in this senate will always call our allegiance into question. They have done so for centuries, questioning the usefulness of any non-satyr race. None of this is new.
"However, I do reject the accusation of failure in our order of subjugation... We have succeeded in subduing the Abomination that had threatened the empire’s outpost. There is now nothing stopping our advancement further into the frontier. Neither do I accept the accusation of cowardice. I have bled many times for this nation and even now, my people are bleeding and dying for the empire’s continued existence. No, neither of these charges hold any substance and I am happy to discuss either point further... But it will never be enough.” He stopped there, glaring at the spectating crowd above the senators. Under his unforgiving gaze, the murmuring dulled.
“I am here because of my race, and my continued refusal to bow to the Puritists who wish to further enslave us.” He then turned his flat stare to the large group of gold-fringed senators, leveling an accusation of his own. His words did not echo up and down the chamber like the prosecutor's had, instead they rang out once before settling down on the faces and shoulders of all those in attendance. Their weight produced either thoughtful frowns or sneers depending on the section of the audience.
The judge on the smaller throne kept his face impassive as he moved through what seemed to be a traditional order of trial before the senate,
“What evidence does the prosecution bring?”
The coiffed Satyr stood back up, throwing a quick sneer at Tilly’s group before turning to the Judge, “We have a copy of the emperor's mandate. Which compels this mongrel people to establish a satellite outpost for the empire in the frontier. A location that was very costly to obtain from the Cartographers Guild I might add! The Empire further graciously advanced a loan to establish a secure transport to the site for the agreed number of rodents… ahem, people, and their supplies. Yet all we received in return for this unprecedented generosity were delayed timelines and requests for additional aid! All of this points to an obvious misuse of resources, and even further, a malicious twisting of the Emperor’s goodwill!” The satyr finished his voice rising to a fever pitch as his face reddened with passion.
This statement started some quiet discussion in a smaller group of senators wearing togas fringed in green. However, the largest group of senators, all wearing the gold fringe, were animated and even cheerful as they pointed and murmured at the prosecution's points. Tilly took a closer look at the green group trying to place them with some of the political parties he had heard from the informant's report. Their group was mid-sized and was made up of four satyrs in exceedingly rich apparel along with two gnomes, one dwarf, and one dark elf. Tilly decided that these guys had to be the Economist party, the overstated richness of their dress speaking even more loudly than their concern over possible misuse of empire funds.
“What evidence does the defense bring to trial?” The judge continued impassively.
At his question, Shuji stood and managed an impressively graceful bow despite his considerable girth. “Noble ladies and gentlemen of this august and time-honored body, I am both grateful and humbled to stand before you as a ser-”
“Get on with it, you windbag!” Someone shouted from the higher seats. Many laughed at the heckling, and the Judge’s face showed his first expression of the day. A deep frown creased his otherwise smooth, apathetic face.
“It is a privilege to be here in this chamber while it is in session! That privilege can and will be revoked for any that choose to interrupt again.” He said gravely without turning to look at the crowd. There must have been magic involved because even though his statement was uttered with quiet menace, it easily carried through the entirety of the stands. He then waved his hand at Shuji to continue.
“Ahem, yes well, as I was saying… I am the appointed logistics officer for this venture, and we have many detailed reports outlining each of our expenditures. We have not only kept track of the empire's resources but also of the considerable sum that was raised privately by our own people to make this venture possible. We have lost many more lives than we projected due to the unforeseen threat we faced in our expansion efforts. These figures are all outlined in the weekly reports we sent.
"Our figures were formed on the understanding that this was a relatively quiet zone of the frontier, newly discovered. It is because of this we undertook this project with only a token fighting force. If not for the ability granted by this Senate to allow double classing for some of our citizens into militia we would have been swept away. Lord Hiro lost the last of his formal retainers and almost lost his son in the fighting.
"Again, all of this is detailed in our reports. For those of you who somehow did not see the reports, we endured attacks every night by infected and enslaved creatures from the surrounding mountains for weeks, turning our designated area of expansion into a warzone. Despite all of this we managed, with the help of this human, to end this threat with no additional resources. The land is prepared, the outpost is established and now thanks to the constant fighting, the surrounding forests are almost clear of all wildlife. Contrary to the prosecution's case, we are happy to report a full success in our objective, despite the unforeseen obstacles.” He finished his statement in a clipped, formal tone, allowing a small amount of frustration to show through his otherwise respectful and magnanimous demeanor.
After his statements, many in the senate started to turn and quietly speak with one another. The gold-fringed group's expressions grew stormy, and Tilly saw an older Satyr at its head turn around and look up to the stands with a thunderous expression. The red-fringed group of senators (made up of several scarred and burly members of mixed races, including three minotaurs) applauded Shuji’s conclusion. The green group’s discussion grew even more animated as they whispered back and forth amongst each other.
'Nice job Shuji!' Tilly couldn't keep a satisfied smile of vindication from showing on his face.
Then that prosecutor's reedy voice broke up the chatter of the crowd.
“As is the prosecution’s right in trials where there are no unbiased witnesses, we move to employ the Truth Domain." A murmur of excitement met that statement from the upper crowd. This action settled down the gold-fringed group while the other senators leaned in, letting their side conversations die off.
“...This action is deemed appropriate by this judgment seat, you may call a single witness. This court will not be used as an excuse for political maneuvering.” The judge replied gravely. Tilly had to hold back a snort at that. 'A little late to pretend to be above politics, don't you think?'
Upon hearing this limit to one witness the prosecutor furiously wrote on some sort of thick papyrus glowing with a silvery light.
“Who does the prosecution call at this time?” The judge asked, his tone shortening at the delay.
The prosecutor watched the page intensely ignoring the judge for a moment.
“If the prosecution is unpr-”
The prosecutor's head snapped up and almost shouted, “The prosecution calls the human Jonathan Tillman to the Domain as a witness!”
Shuji jumped to his feet, “Your honor, this man is not under any accusation, he should not be made to stand trial.”
“He is not being accused of anything besides poor taste in friends!” The prosecutor snapped back, before continuing, “He is being called as the most reliable witness this court can question, and hopefully from him, we can get something resembling the untainted truth.” He finished, a vehement gleam shining in his eyes.
“The court will allow this, as long as the Human understands he can not be incriminated by any statements he makes under the influence of the Domain. We are here to discover the guilt or innocence of Lord Hiro and the Lapin venture, nothing else.”
Shuji's face fell and a look of defeat darkened his features. He turned to Tilly as if in apology and as soon as his expression couldn't be seen by the crowd he winked before leaning in,
“Just be yourself. We are almost certain you will do much more harm to our opposition than to us.”
“The witness is not to be prepared!” The prosecutor shouted.
The judge gestured to the empty space in the basin directly before the two thrones, where a glowing circle of arcane markings had appeared.
“Please step into the enchantment, human. You will not be harmed.”